“Our mowers of choice would tend to be Kverneland. The reason being is that we’d have challenging conditions. We did try a few other makes but we always seem to end up back at Kverneland”
Alwyn Young, a well-known contractor, is based in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone. Contracting has always been a way of life for Alwyn, who followed into the contracting business that his father Charlie established over 50 years ago.
Following the unprecedented weather this summer, Alwyn affirmed that 2022 will be remembered as a tough season for contractors.
“The rainfall’s held us back badly, I would say it’s nearly one of my worst years that I’ve ever experience. Everything just went totally against us; grass was early, all my customers were early and then it didn’t stop raining,” said Alwyn.
To get through such tough times and even tougher conditions, the quality and reliability of your mower is crucial. In his fleet, Alwyn has two sets of Kverneland 53100MT BX butterfly mowers, which have a 33 series front mower, two 3232MN rear mounted, and two 3532FT and 3632FT front mowers.
Alywn found that one of the main benefits to Kverneland’s mowers is their weight, particularly on heavy ground.
He said: “These mowers definitely now are a lot lighter and whenever the mowers are lifted and you’re turning, you’re not leaving the same imprints or the same damage to the ground.”
Additionally, the wider cutting width of 10.2m means less travel over challenging ground due to the ability of the patented Racecar QuattroLink four arm suspension of this flagship model.
“These mowers really float, you can watch them, they really do,” said Alwyn.
New triple-mowers
With the continued growth of the triple-mower market, Kverneland is expanding its product offering with two new triple-mower conditioner combinations.
Posing as a bridge between entry-level models and top of the range models, these two new 8.75m combinations, the 5387 MT and the 5387 MT, with belts featuring patented QuattroLink suspension, are specifically designed for long productive working days and will complete the company’s range of triple mowers. The range starts from the entry-level model, 5087 MN, 8.7m nylon conditioner triple mower, which is an efficient yet uncomplicated mower purpose-built to lower power and fuel consumption costs.
John Doyle, product manager at Kverneland group Ireland sees this mower as being geared towards the self-sufficient farmer or entry-level contractor who may be looking to upgrade from a front and rear mower combination.
Discussing this mower, John said: “We believe this mower is as robust and uncomplicated a triple mower as is in the market today, while offered at a very competitive price.
“This model is particularly suitable for a medium-sized tractor which helps with lower fuel consumption. Your next step in the butterfly range is our latest product offering, launching this summer, the 5387 MT, 8.7m mounted steel-tine mower conditioner.”
Racecar suspension
Kverneland’s newest model of triple mowers is equipped with patented ‘Racecar’ suspension, allowing for exceptional ground contour following with independent mower suspension resulting in increased productivity and superior performance in all crops.
“The Racecar suspension allows you to work at high speeds while ensuring both the tractor and mowers are at ease.
“We see this mower as bridging the gap between the entry level 5087MN and our flagship 53100 MT, 10m triple mower,” said John.
Kverneland sees this latest product offering completing its range of butterfly mowers on offer to the Irish market.
The 53100 MT, top-of-the-range butterfly mower, offers an impressive 10.2m working width, with ISOBUS controls, and Vario suspension arms allowing an overlap of 400mm on each mower, which is adjustable on the go. The two rear 3.6m mowers are Kverneland’s most powerful triple mowers which are made for high level uptime and productivity.
Saving time and money
Both the 5387 and the 53100MT are available with swath belts.
“For the customer who wants to go straight to harvesting, this is an extremely efficient operation,” commented John.
“Uniquely, we offer a quick coupling solution for the 53100MT, which allows you to remove the swath Belts within minutes.
“The upshot means the contractor or farmer can adapt quickly to whatever customer requirements are, not only saving time but more importantly weight and fuel consumption.”
Following last year’s dry weather, Alywn noted: “There wasn’t the same need for the BX belts. Very easy taken off the mowers. One pin set the mowers down and drive out.”
John continued: “We’re particularly enthusiastic about this new product launch as the 5387 model offers the main features of the 53100MT, specifically the Racecar suspension with a robust and compact build, at an extremely competitive price point in the Irish market.
“Kverneland has a long history with mowers, rakes and tedders working in the Irish market previously under the Taarup brand, and we’ve forged a proud reputation as a supplier of top quality reliable and efficient grass machines, so make sure to check out the latest addition,” concluded John.
For Alywn, as a busy contractor, being able to rely on the service and commitment of his local Kverneland Dealers is key.
Alwyn said: “You couldn’t fault them.
“We’ve always used Kverneland, and Kverneland with us has got a proven track record.”
